Be Thankful and Bold / David Jeremiah

Be Thankful and Bold I will praise You with my whole heart; before the gods I will sing praises to You. Psalm 138:1   We see it frequently these days—athletes, celebrities, and others thanking God publicly for His help in their achievement. That might be a modern-day equivalent of the sentiment expressed by the psalmist: “Before the gods I will sing praises to You.” It’s a statement of boldness at the very least: a willingness to thank God publicly in the presence of kings and the gods they represent or in the presence of a public that has no allegiance to God.

Recommended Reading: Psalm 95:1-2

An immediate example comes to mind: Daniel and his three friends in the courts of Babylon during their captivity. All four of these young men at various times spoke openly about their allegiance to the God of Israel. Peter and John did the same thing in Jerusalem when the Jewish Sanhedrin ordered them not to preach about Jesus shortly after His resurrection. And the psalmist’s sentiment of thanksgiving could well be summarized by 1 Thessalonians 5:18: “In everything give thanks.” There is no limit to the reasons and places we should give thanks to God. Cultivate the boldness needed to give thanks to God at any time, in any place, and in the presence of anyone.   God’s giving deserves our thanksgiving. Anonymous